Is Vice woke?
Vice (2018)
Movie
Released: January 1, 2018
Wokeness Score
8/10
Strongly Ideological
Woke messaging is very prominent and often feels forced or shoehorned in. Characters and plot are primarily shaped to serve the ideology. Many viewers feel the agenda overshadows the entertainment.
Key Summary Points
- Portrays Dick Cheney and Bush administration as villains responsible for Iraq War and executive power abuses through progressive critique.
- Satirizes conservative media, voters, and figures like Fox News and Scalia as manipulative or ignorant.
- Includes meta-commentary on liberal bias and audience apathy, prioritizing ideological lecture over neutral biography.
Wokeness Analysis
Vice (2018), directed and written by Adam McKay, is a satirical biopic of Dick Cheney that prioritizes progressive ideological critique over balanced storytelling. The film frames Cheney as the architect of executive overreach, the Iraq War, and the erosion of democratic norms, portraying conservative policies and figures through a consistently negative lens. It includes jabs at Fox News, Rush Limbaugh, Antonin Scalia, and climate skepticism, while depicting Republican voters as easily manipulated or rage-driven in focus group scenes. A post-credits sequence directly addresses audience perceptions of liberal bias, underscoring the film's self-aware messaging. Conservative critics describe it as a hard-left hit piece that reduces complex history to a conspiracy against the right, shoehorning social commentary on power, media, and ideology into the narrative. While performances are strong, the plot and characters serve McKay's partisan worldview, with entertainment secondary to lecturing viewers on the dangers of conservative governance. This heavy-handed approach aligns with heavily ideological criteria, alienating audiences seeking neutral escapism.
Plot
Vice chronicles the rise of Dick Cheney from a Wyoming lineman and Yale dropout to the powerful Vice President under George W. Bush. Narrated by a fictional Iraq War veteran, the black comedy traces Cheney's political education under Donald Rumsfeld, his role in the Nixon and Ford administrations, and his strategic maneuvering to expand vice-presidential authority. After joining Bush's ticket with expanded powers over foreign policy and energy, Cheney influences decisions leading to the Iraq War, tax cuts, and unitary executive theory. The film highlights his family life with wife Lynne and daughters Liz and Mary, including tensions over Mary's sexuality, and ends with reflections on power's costs amid a fractured nation.